New ANC smart membership cards ‘to curb gatekeeping’

Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula said the overhaul was necessary to address longstanding issues such as bulk buying of membership, gatekeeping, and ghost members.

The new membership system was launched during the national executive committee meeting in Boksburg on Friday.  

The ANC has faced significant challenges in membership management, which have led to disputes over delegate accreditation, procedural irregularities, and disruptions during elective conferences. 

These issues have resulted in legal battles and, in some cases, the nullification of conference outcomes.

In 2021, the ANC introduced a digital membership system to curb manipulation and enhance transparency. 

However, the system encountered significant setbacks, including reports of branch secretaries attempting to manipulate registrations by scanning identity documents multiple times.

 This led to disqualifications and the rerunning of several branch meetings. 

Mbalula emphasised that the new system is a key component of the party’s renewal efforts. 

"The new smart card will be used as an additional protocol on the registration and credentials administration process in the forthcoming biennial branch general meetings, branch general meetings, and regional and provincial conferences. 

“All ANC members should contact their branch secretaries for information on collecting their membership cards," he said.

"Following the launch of the smart permanent membership card, all membership cards will be centrally printed once a member confirms the request in the system,” he added.

Training on the new system has already begun in several provinces.

 The ANC believes the smart membership card will streamline participation in party meetings and conferences, preventing delays caused by registration issues, such as those that extended the 2022 elective conference.

"The rollout of the new card will be implemented in phases,” Mbalula explained. 

“The first phase includes today’s launch, where the President and ANC NEC members received their new membership smart cards.

“The final phase will begin 21 days after this launch, with the mass production of cards for all active members in good standing. We will infuse this politically, opening up the organisation to members. 

“Politically, nobody has the right to block members from joining for nefarious reasons," Mbalula said.

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